“I’ve wanted to go to medical school for as long as I can remember, but I wanted to make sure it was the right field for me, so in high school I explored things like engineering, science and math, too. After all that, I’m still excited about medicine, and I’m now considering a specialty in either pediatrics or women’s health."

“What in the world are we doing here?” The question has haunted mankind since the beginning of time.
Enter Brandon Drummond, a physics graduate student who is two years into his doctoral program. As a research assistant to Professor Joseph Izen, Ph.D., he primarily functions as an analyst for the folks working on the BaBar experiment.

Fancy her today’s Indiana Jones. Armed with computer skills instead of a whip, Eugene McDermott Scholars Program alumna and geosciences graduate student Emily Hinz mixes in just a dash of archaeology to flavor her thesis and master’s degree in geophysics. She may not be seeking the holy grail, but she's using similar geological techniques to probe the earth’s physical properties and to identify artifacts.

"I accepted a job with ExxonMobil, the largest independent oil company in the world. They have a structured training program that introduced me to almost all aspects of petroleum exploration. I’m currently working on developing oil fields in offshore Nigeria, and while most of the work is done in Houston, I’m looking forward to traveling there soon."

Imagine your ultimate goal is having the power to make molecules that never existed before, and to have these molecules become self-assembling structures that will grow into a machine. It is to Greg Hundt, a fourth-year doctoral candidate with one year left.

"I want to pursue a career as a physician, and I felt that studying biology through the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics would help me learn about the human body and its processes in preparation for medical school."

UT Dalls student and McDermott scholar Kassandra McLean worked with the United States government to develop nuclear detonation-detection systems a la Star Wars, the space-based defense system that the Reagan administration proposed in the '80s.

Brad Morrison wants to learn how best to protect brain cells. "My particular project looks at a protein that we believe is a neuroprotective protein. It helps protect neurons against this unwanted cell death," he says.

"One of the beauties of medicine is the number of opportunities it provides to serve people. It might be in the discovery of new drugs and therapies for diseases through research, working with the government on health care matters, educating both patients and students as a teacher, or serving in community clinics."

"When you pick up a rock and hold it in your hands, you are actually holding a book containing key clues about the Earth's past. Even the most ordinary of rocks contains a treasure trove of information," said undergraduate student Dean Tuck.

Would you like a computer built into your wristwatch? Or how about owning camouflage uniforms that change with their surroundings? These are just a couple of the elastic, light-weight electronic devices that can be developed by weaving organic light-emitting displays (OLEDs) into textiles and clothing.
Chris Williams, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in physics, conducts research on OLEDs, among the most commercially promising materials to come from the intersection of physics, chemistry, engineering, and nanotechnology.